Do Web-Logs, Forums, and Debates Enhance or Deter Productive Thinking?

[D_Arsonval]

Web-Logs, Forums, and Debates.

Armchair Entertainment?

It’s fun to get tangled up in thoughts, and ideas.
Once upon a time, I remember a co-worker saying, “People need opinion”.

As the popularity of these forums, “blogs”, and continued debates
on just about every conceivable subject matter unfolds (especially here
on Internet Web Sites), is there a gage forming out there
somewhere to determine whether any of this dialog actually transforms into
productive, useful inspiration toward “betterment”? Or negative discontent?

Is it possible forums on all fronts merely contribute a 50/50 on both positive,
and negative? (Like the forces of energy, and friction at opposites?)

Are some of us taking from these discussions truly great “eureka’s”, while the
other half yawn at the consequently naive, and “unanswerable”.

Meaning, a moment of inspiration, and sense of understanding all-of-a-sudden
takes place for some of us leading to a “Ya”?

And the other side merely formulates that no new approaches or “angles” are really
submitted, and that these written conversations are all really ending up as a kind of
“keyboard masturbation”?

The reason I’m thinking along these lines is how my self-awareness
of the time I’ve spent reading what I’ve read on my computer screen,
and the time devoted to forming these random thoughts into these questions
has completely eroded away my Sunday afternoon.

Yet, I’ve enjoyed myself.
So maybe that’s what these dialogs are for?
Armchair or keyboard entertainment, and enjoyment?

Tossing `em out there,

John

 

[nabuco]

Seems to me all this internet talk is just a consequence of the fact that office people are tied to computers the whole day long. It's the best way to procrastinate while giving the appearance that you are actually working.

As to being "enlightened" by the stuff one reads on the web, it must be kept in mind that it is mostly the opinion of geeks, nerds, and social misfits. It's a very one-sided debate, and not a particularly enlightnened one.

 

[loseyourname]

I'm pretty confident that there is merit in having the ability to share real-time views, stories, opinions, and arguments with people around the globe and not just at the local coffee shop.

However, I do have to agree with Nabuco that the diversity of the internet is less than advertised. You're still only communicating with westernized, industrialized people that have internet access and the time and interest to use it for this purpose.

 

[D_Arsonval]

Thanks for your replies.

I suspect the low turnout in replying to this topic
indicates it’s just too simple of a subject matter?

Snickering politely of course.

It does intrigue me that the number of subjects
brought up in the various forums throughout
this vast Internet kingdom tend to be
“reruns” in the story of human thought.
We’re all constantly having to relearn, experience,
and understand the plights of life like those whom
lived in a time before us.

So is this venue also a kind of Authenticity Factor?
Perhaps our way of feeling we’re among company?

Ya, I know. I should have coined my user ID as
“twenty_questions”.

John

 

[D_Arsonval]

Skeptical, Larrre..rreeery, Apprehensive.
However one would label “it”.

Referring to these Forums... that's all.

After all the words devoted to all of the
subject matter here on these posts,
and after all of the comments have been submitted
among the crowd out here/there submitting them,
is there really any progress as a result of words posted
here, or on any other forum of human embrace?

If so, is it possible to authenticate it?

Who is looking at this activity?
Anyone out there working on it?

John

 

[Smurf]

Thanks for your replies.

I suspect the low turnout in replying to this topic
indicates it’s just too simple of a subject matter?

You didn't exactly choose one of the high-volume subforums to post in either. It's a bit of a trade-off. You can post here and get very few, and far between posts, but they're serious and possibly even lengthy and insightful. Or you can post in GD, and get a lot of short, mostly useless opinions that won't really be of benefit to you. (Not because different people post, but just because in GD your not expected to talk seriously about stuff, here you are)

 

[Smurf]

I don't have a clue what your talking about in your replies, but in response to your original post. I think that if you're looking for something really new or interesting, you're definitely not going to find it on a forum. At least not yet. The reason for this is that new thoughts, at least good ones, take effort (Eureka!'s are earned). A lot of effort. Someone's not going to put that much work into a post on PF. What we CAN do here, and we do it a lot, is regurgitate and reference to other materials, a lot of which are online. This is still extremely useful, but hardly original.Still, it's worth noting that the internet has only been in widespread usage 11 years. Give it time.

 

[Smurf]

Seems to me all this internet talk is just a consequence of the fact that office people are tied to computers the whole day long. It's the best way to procrastinate while giving the appearance that you are actually working.

As to being "enlightened" by the stuff one reads on the web, it must be kept in mind that it is mostly the opinion of geeks, nerds, and social misfits. It's a very one-sided debate, and not a particularly enlightnened one.

I think it's worth making a distinction between the internet as a whole, and web blogs, forums, etc,. You may very well have made this to yourself, but you didn't clarify in your post. The internet it's self, is extremely powerful tool for information. One look at PF's 'links' section should show you that. And it's only going to get better.

 

[D_Arsonval]

Thanks for your generous replie(s) “Smurf”.

(Is that what everyone else calls you?)

When I think about scholarly replies to something as
“everyday” as Internet Web Forums, I’m reminded
about how most people living their life, pursuing
their daily activities, working on their book,
contributing to their column, or simply saying “hello”;
it’s all likely a gesture, of politeness.

I apologize for the use of “I” here, for I know it denotes
a person filled with themselves.
Kind of like what I’m seeing among these forums.
(And perhaps for myself here as well.)

Hence, a blog/forum.

Rumble, rumble…
So, if I read you “Smurf” as I do, you’re pretty much confirming that…

“…if you're looking for something really new or interesting, you're definitely not going to find it on a forum. At least not yet. The reason for this is that new thoughts, at least good ones, take effort (Eureka!'s are earned). A lot of effort. Someone's not going to put that much work into a post on PF. What we CAN do here, and we do it a lot, is regurgitate and reference to other materials, a lot of which are online. This is still extremely useful, but hardly original.”

I like your feed back! Thank you!

So, is It indeed being confirmed that this domain is simply armchair
entertainment with little, or no significant value?

John

(My real first name) it really is

 

[Smurf]

Thanks for your generous replie(s) “Smurf”.

(Is that what everyone else calls you?)

Yeah, everyone knows me as Smurf here. And a few in RL too. I'm one of the few long-term members that hasn't posted his picture and I only posted my name once, by accident.

When I think about scholarly replies to something as
“everyday” as Internet Web Forums, I’m reminded
about how most people living their life, pursuing
their daily activities, working on their book,
contributing to their column, or simply saying “hello”;
it’s all likely a gesture, of politeness.I apologize for the use of “I” here, for I know it denotes
a person filled with themselves.
Kind of like what I’m seeing among these forums.
(And perhaps for myself here as well.)

Hence, a blog/forum.

I don't understand what your trying to say here.

Rumble, rumble…
So, if I read you “Smurf” as I do, you’re pretty much confirming that…

“…if you're looking for something really new or interesting, you're definitely not going to find it on a forum. At least not yet. The reason for this is that new thoughts, at least good ones, take effort (Eureka!'s are earned). A lot of effort. Someone's not going to put that much work into a post on PF. What we CAN do here, and we do it a lot, is regurgitate and reference to other materials, a lot of which are online. This is still extremely useful, but hardly original.”

I like your feed back! Thank you!

So, is it indeed being confirmed that this domain is simply armchair
entertainment with little, or no significant value?

Not at all. Like I said, it's extremely useful for reference. The homework section of PF is particularly obvious in this respect, people educated in physics or math, etc,. are helping people still in (usually) their undergrad or high school years. I don't even really want to necessarily it CAN'T be used for original thought, that is that it's not limited to descriptive statements, as you can see https://www.physicsforums.com/forumdisplay.php?f=143".

I'm not really sure what the opposite of "armchair entertainment" would be, original research? useful productivity? Anyways, I think that it's unfair to take a technology that's only been used for the last 11 years and expect it to immediately catch up to the other channels of thought (universities for example). Tradition is against it, but again, that doesn't mean it will always be.

*(I say unfortunately because it is unfortunate that not everyone has had the internet since almost as far back as they can remember, like me)btb,
To use quotes type this:

[QUOTE]text to quote[/QUOTE]

to add a name do this

[QUOTE=name]text to quote[/QUOTE]

to add a link to the post

[QUOTE=name;post number]text to quote[/QUOTE]